Pinelands Regional Parents Angry That High School Stayed Open

LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - The Pinelands Regional School district could face a $7,000 fine from the state Office of Public Employees' Occupational Safety and Health for failing to provide janitors with asbestos training, according to a report in app.com.

To avoid the fine, Pinelands Regional must show proof by Nov. 30 that it provided janitors and custodians with an asbestos awareness course, locations of asbestos-containing material on school property, and instruction on how to respond to asbestos fiber releases.

It's the latest in a series of air quality-related issues that have plagued the district since a roof construction project at the beginning of the school year.

Parents who attended an Oct. 30 information session demanded to know why the high school had not been closed as soon as air quality issues were noted in a Sept. 11 letter from Newfield-based Epic Environmental. To view the Oct. 30 meeting online, click here.

The letter stated that that asbestos debris was discovered in the high school roof, and that debris could enter the school and "cause safety hazards and air quality issues."

"Why were our children and staff and administration put in harm's way?" one parent asked.

Interim Superintendent Maryann Banks said she was not aware of the letter until about two weeks ago.

"Had I known about that when I should have, I would have closed down the building," she said.

Epic Environmental told school officials in a Sept. 11 letter that asbestos debris was discovered in the high school roof, and that debris could enter the school and "cause safety hazards and air quality issues."

Epic recommended that the debris be removed and rooftop construction stop until a remedy was found. The company also advised school officials to close affected portions of the school while the roofing project was ongoing.

But there was no evidence that airborne asbestos contamination was present in the building, the Epic report said.

"Construction activities will continue to deteriorate the debris and will cause safety hazards and air quality issues," the Epic report said. "Based on previous data, asbestos contamination inside the building is not expected during this process."

The district kept the high school open until early October, when a roof screw fell on a student.

“Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time with the information we had we made the best decision we could," Business Administrator Stephen Brennan told the audience at the Oct. 30 meeting. Brennan said the school was opened Sept. 7 based on an August report from Epic Environmental the school was asbestos-free.

Students in both the high school and junior high school are on split sessions in the junior high school until the issue is resolved.

To read the app.com story, click here.

Logo: Courtesy of Pinelands Regional School District